My Partner the Demon
by The Blue Raven
Summary: Sequel to 'You Have No Idea'. Officer Craig does her best to come to terms with the fact that her partner is a demon and that Sunnydale is WAY stranger than LA ever was.


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My Partner the Demon

By: Blue

Summary: Sequel to 'You Have No Idea'. Officer Craig does her best to come to terms with the fact that her partner is a demon and that Sunnydale is WAY stranger than LA ever was.

Rating: G

Disclaimer: Don't own, just borrowing…

Timeline: Before Willow got all spooky and Spike got all demonic again. Oh, and Giles is still around because I LOVE Giles.

Author's Note: I just kind of made up a demon species here, so if the name's already been used, sorry… I'm guessing that the demon's name has _not._

Feedback: Pretty please? Feed me, feed me!!!

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My Partner the Demon

"The Hell-mouth?" Kait Craig repeated, glancing dubiously up at the shop-owner.

"Well, not _the_ Hell-mouth. Just… _a_ hell-mouth." Giles gave an apologetic shrug to the officer. "I know that must seem patently absurd to you…"

"Excuse me? Yesterday I watched my partner sprout horns and… other things." She looked at the pock-marked floor, the wood corroded where Jameson's _slime_ had hit it.

Giles smiled sympathetically. "More tea?"

"Please. Although, I wouldn't say no to something stronger, either."

Giles nodded knowingly, rising. "I'll be right back."

"Well, hello again, luv," Spike said, coming into the store through the basement. He smiled as she recoiled slightly. "Relax. I've got the chip. Didn't the out of work librarian tell you?"

Kait smiled uncertainly. "Um, we hadn't gotten there yet. We were still on portals to the netherworld." 

Spike smiled and shook his head. "You know," he whispered confidentially, "I think he fancies you."

Kait frowned. "I think it's none of your business, _Spike_. What… what kind of name is that anyway?"

"Well, it's better than _Katie_," he said mockingly. "Name like that belongs on an eight-year-old. Or a golden retriever…"

"Rupert, where do you keep the sharp sticks?" Kait called, rising.

"I _like_ this one!" Spike said approvingly as Giles reentered the room, holding a bottle of scotch and looking worried. 

"I'm sorry, Spike, did you have a _reason_ for being here?"

"Not particularly. Was hoping to see the Little Bit."

Kait smiled grimly at him. "There's something incredibly unhealthy about taking that close an interest in a girl her age," she pointed out mildly.

"Hey!" Spike snarled, putting on his vampire face.

"You don't scare me, Fang," Kait told him. "Chip, remember?"

"Spike, unless you have some business here, please leave," Giles requested in a tight voice.

Shaking his head, the vampire turned and left via the basement.

"Why hasn't your… Slayer slain him yet?" Kait asked Giles.

Giles shook his head. "Not a clue. Scotch?"  


"Please. I think I'd like to get healthily drunk before I hear much more about this _wonderful_ little town I've landed in."

"Jameson was right… You really should have done your homework better." Giles smiled faintly and filled two empty tea-cups with scotch.

"Yeah, obviously. LA is looking better and better." She shook her head and picked up the cup, half-draining it. "I'll give you this, Rupert, you have _excellent _taste in scotch."

Giles smiled shyly and nodded. "Thank you, Kait. Where were we?"

"Confluence of demonic activity."

Giles nodded and sat down again. "Right. We'll the Hell-mouth draws demons to this area… Only Buffy keeps their numbers in check."

Kait nodded. "Thus what Jameson told me last night."

"And what was that?"

"Um, 'if you should happen to come across a petite blond woman beating the _crud_ out of anyone, just walk away'."

Giles smiled and nodded. "Yes, that was in reference to Buffy."

"And what he said about her victims not technically being victims?"

"_Humans_ are victims. _Living_ humans…"

"Ah." She nodded and looked up at Giles. "What have I gotten myself into?"  


"A situation that you have no frame of reference for. My advice would be to return to LA and forget that you _ever_ visited Sunnydale. Cops do _not_ live long here, Miss Craig."

"Beautiful," she muttered, shaking her head and helping herself to more scotch. "I'm a cop, in a town infested with _vampires_, my partner is a _demon_…"

"Only by birth. It's hardly his _fault_," Giles pointed out, shrugging.

"Yeah, but is he _safe_?"

Giles smiled and nodded. "Perfectly. He's a Mek'nar demon, they're harmless." He waved dismissive hand, refilling her cup.

"Except for the corrosive _goo_ that they _sweat_ when pissed!" She shook her head.

"Threatened. Only when threatened. It's a defense mechanism that the species evolved over several million generations in a Stygian hell-dimension. But they really are quite benign, I _assure_ you."

"We really are, Kait," Jameson told her, entering the store and sporting a fresh black eye. "Nine hells, you think I'm the spookiest thing working at the Sunnydale PD right now?" He laughed and shook his head. "Ooh, is that tea chamomile?" he asked hopefully.

Giles smiled and nodded, pouring Jameson a cup. "Adrian, I was just explaining to Kait that the Mek'nar are harmless."

Jameson nodded and glanced at Kait, sipping his chamomile tea with a deep sigh of enjoyment. "It _hurts_ that you thought otherwise, you know… Here I am, showing you the ropes, giving you the 411, trying to keep you out of trouble with the Slayer, and you don't like me because I sometimes _look_ different?" He shook his head and sipped his tea again. "That attitude went out around here in the fifties," he observed sagely, shrugging. "Still, if it's uncomfortable for you, we'll get you a different partner. I'm sure Captain Locke will understand. Hell, she's had that problem herself in the past."  


"She's a demon, too?" Kait asked.

Jameson nodded. "Chaos demon, reformed."

Kait blinked. "Look, I have _no_ problem with you, Adrian. I was just a little put off by the orange goo. Not something you see every day."

"Except in Sunnydale!" a cheerful voice contributed.

Jameson looked up, smiling. "Hey, Dawnie! How was school."

She made a face. "It was _school_. It sucked." She shrugged and unshouldered her backpack. "Oh, hi again, Officer Craig," she said cheerfully, before vanishing into the back.

"Sweet kid," Kait remarked.

Jameson and Giles both nodded. Giles rose to make another pot of tea.

"Mek'nar, is that how you say it?" Kait asked.

Jameson nodded. "Yeah, Craig. That's how you say it."

"Well, I've never known a Mek'nar demon before, but it's good to meet one." She extended her hand across the table.

Jameson accepted it with a grin. "Actually, you probably _have_ known several and just didn't know it. There's a big colony of us in LA."

"Um, why… California?"

"You ever been to a Stygian hell dimension?" he asked with a short laugh. "You know that saying, nice to visit but I wouldn't want to live there."  


"Uh, yeah." She nodded, not sure that any place with the phrase "hell dimension" tacked on to its name could qualify as nice in _any_ sense.

"Not even nice to _visit_." He shrugged. "My parent emigrated to Sunnydale when I was seven or eight."

"That must have been hard for you? New language, new culture…"

"New everything." He nodded. "And, you know, my folks faced a _lot_ of discrimination from the other demons here, to say nothing of the humans, but… they were building a better life for their kids."

"You have siblings?"

He nodded. "Eight sisters and twelve brothers." He grinned as her eyes widened. "Small family by Mek'nar standards, actually."

"Very small," Giles agreed, returning with a fresh pot of chamomile tea for Jameson. "A single Mek'nar clutch is usually larger than that."

"Book-worm," Jameson laughed. "Only human I've ever known who's surprised that there were _only_ twenty-one of us." He laughed again, shaking his head. He accepted a fresh cup of tea with a grateful nod. "Thanks, Giles. You know, you shouldn't give my partner too much more of that scotch. She _does_ have work tonight."

"Work?" Kait repeated nervously. "Foot-patrol through the graveyards? _Here?_ In Sunnydale?"

Jameson laughed and nodded. "Maybe _one_ more drink…"

Giles smiled and nodded, topping off her cup. "If it makes you feel any better, I can have Buffy patrol with you?" he offered.

Jameson shrugged. "She's a good kid. You've done a _great_ job with her, Giles."

Giles smiled. "Why thank you, Adrian."

"Can I just ask a weird question?" Kait asked.

"By all means." Giles nodded.  
  
"Shoot," Jameson said.

"Adrian Jameson? Just doesn't _sound_ like the kind of name a demon is likely to have.

Jameson laughed. "It anglicized. _Lots _of immigrant anglicize their names."  


"Oh." She nodded, not inquiring further.

"Adrythan'ynyss Jamikenamarzi," he supplied with a faint smile, sipping at his tea. 

"Ah." She smiled and nodded. "And, um, Giles was telling me that different demons do different things… different specializations?"

He nodded. "We're linguists," he told her with a grin.

"_Linguists?_" she repeated.

He nodded. "Sad, huh?" he asked with a grin. He drained his cup and rose. "We should go now. Work and everything. Bye, Giles."

"Bye, Adrian."

"Good bye, Rupert." Kait smiled at him.

"Kait." He smiled back, ducking his head. "I look forward to seeing you again soon. I can finish telling you Sunnydale's history."

"I'd like that." She smiled and nodded, following Jameson from the store. "How many languages do you speak?" she asked as they walked.

"A hundred and thirty seven."

"You're joking?"

He shrugged. "If you were Giles, I'd think that were an insult. I've never been as good with languages as most Mek'nar." He grinned and shrugged. "Law enforcement was always my first love so I never really applied myself. Now, my youngest sister speaks over three _thousand_ languages and dialects, even if most of them _are_ dead. She's good."

"I'd like to meet her."

  
"Well, she lives in another dimension right now, but next time she visits I'll introduce you."

"Another dimension?"

He nodded. "Yeah, forget what it's called. Name takes like ten minutes to say anyway. All I really remember is that the air there is _foul_ and green. I like earth better."

"Um, I'll buy that. What's she do there?"  


"She's chief translator for some demon overlord or other…" He shrugged absently. "The hours suck, but the pay's pretty good."

Kait could not help but smile. "Certainly sounds like an interesting line of work…"

"Dreadfully dull according to her." He shrugged. "Ah, graveyard." He pointed as they approached Sunnydale's largest cemetery.

"Oh, yay. Just when it's getting dark."

"Don't worry. Relatively safe. Spike lives in that crypt over there." He pointed. 

"Ah." She nodded weakly. "How comforting."  


"He's an okay guy." Jameson shrugged.

"He gave you a black eye!"

"Well, I _do_ owe him about twenty kittens…" Jameson shrugged.

"Kittens?" she repeated, staring.

"Hey, I'm _in_ Gambler's Anonymous now… And I _will_ get him his kittens."

"You'd better, mate," Spike announced casually, leaning against a nearby tombstone. "'Cause this bugger chip may keep me from dining as I like but it does _not_ keep me from hurting demons."

"I'll get you your kittens!" he repeated. "Jeez!" He shook his head. "Can we discuss this when I'm _not_ on duty?" he demanded.

Spike shrugged indifferently. "Goldilocks with you?" he inquired.

Jameson shook his head. "Your obsession with the Slayer man… disturbing." He shook his head. "Her job is to _kill_ people like us."

"She's also got a thing for the undead," Spike pointed out. "What bloke _wouldn't_ exploit that?"

Jameson shook his head. "It's going to end badly," he muttered, taking Kait by the arm and leading her more deeply into the graveyard. "Freak." He shook his head.

"He's a vampire and he loves the vampire _slayer_?" Kait asked, frowning. "Doesn't make much sense."

He shrugged. "I don't know. He thinks because she had _one_ fling with a vampire that she's open to the idea or something. Sick, if you ask me."

"She's been involved with vampires in the past?"  


"Just the one." Jameson shrugged. "Ended badly, big surprise. I _think_ she's learned her lesson…" He shrugged. "What I don't get is how a guy goes from being obsessed to _feeding_ off a woman to being obsessed with _dating_ her."

"Strange town…"

"Oh, it gets better. One of her best friends is dating a Vengeance demon."

"Okay, that _is_ bizarre." Kait shook her head.

"And then there was the couple of days where everybody in town kept breaking into song…"

"You're joking?"  


He shook his head. "It was better than the town-wide laryngitis outbreak, but only because no hearts got cut out."

Kait stopped walking and glanced at him. "Strange, strange town."

"I supposed Giles gave you the obligatory 'go back to LA' lecture?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Something about cops around here not having the longest life-spans."

"Are you going?"

She paused for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Sunnydale is… interesting."

"It is that." He smiled and nodded. "Did you know that Buffy was dead for a couple of months?"

"Really?"  


"In fact, I think she's been dead twice now…" He thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, at least twice."

"Resilient girl."

"You have--" He stopped, mid-sentence, as a ten-foot tall, scaly creature in armor ran by, carrying a pair of swords. He smiled at the horrified look on Kait's face. "Welcome to Sunnydale," he whispered, grinning at her. "Still think it's interesting."

"Where'd he go?" a young man gasped, running past.

Jameson pointed. "That way, Xander."

"Thanks, man." He nodded and took off, shouting, "Buffy, Will, Tara, Anya! Over here!"

Women came running from four different directions, one armed with a crossbow and battle-ax, the others not armed at all.

A youngish blonde stopped when she saw Jameson. " Adrythan'ynyss"

"Anyahka." He nodded a greeting.

"Where'd he go?" she asked, sighing.

Jameson pointed. "Buffy and the girls up to this?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. I just hope Xander doesn't get--"

"Ow!" came a plaintive groan.

Anya rolled her eyes. "Hurt," she finished, shaking her head and taking off in the direction of the cry.

"Should we…" Craig looked at Jameson.

"I'm say Buffy and company have it in hand, but if you want to see what they get up to on an average night." Shrugging, he started in the direction Anya had gone.

"Petite blonde beating the crud out of anyone," she muttered, shaking her head at the scene unfolding before her. Two girls dressed in retro-hippy dresses stood on the sidelines chanting, hands clasped, as Buffy swung her ax at the creature and Anya dealt with Xander who was lying on the ground nearby. 

"Come on, might as well help him," Jameson said, nodding towards Xander. "We have him," he assured Anya, who nodded and moved towards the fight.

The two girls finished chanting and the creature literally froze.

Buffy turned and grinned at them. "Good work, guys!" She flashed them a thumb's-up and unshouldered her crossbow. Her eyes went wide. "Who had the silver quarrels?" she demanded.

"They broke when Xander fell on them," Anya said, shaking her head.

The red-headed girl tapped her forehead. "It can be killed with one of its own swords!" she said quickly.

"Damn, you're smart." The other girl smiled.

"Aw, sweetie…" 

Anya rolled her eyes. "You heard her, Buffy."

Shrugging, Buffy darted forward, grabbed one of the swords from the creature and glanced over her shoulder at Willow and Tara. "Where do I stab it?" she demanded. "Where does it keep its heart?" she asked, gesturing towards the strange-looking creature which really did not seem to have a chest to speak of.

"Third eye!" Tara provided.

Buffy looked up at the 10-foot creature. "And how do I _reach _it?"  


Willow shrugged apologetically. "Not sure, but you'd better hurry. The freezing spell won't last much longer…"

Shaking her head, Buffy took several steps backwards, swung the sword over her head and threw it at the creature. The sword pierced the creature's forehead as it started moving again, and it vanished in a puff of smoke.

"What, no one ever tell you that smoking's bad for you?" Buffy asked, shaking her head and picking up the sword.

  
"What now?"

"Um, the sword needs to be destroyed with a special ceremony," Willow told her. "Giles should have everything we need."

Buffy nodded. "Okay. Let's go." She paused, noticing Jameson and Kait for the first time. "Oh, hi." She smiled brightly at them. "Settling in okay?" she asked Kait cheerfully.

"Just swell." Kait nodded shakily.

Buffy handed the sword to Willow. "Buy you a cup of coffee?"

"Buy me something stronger?"

Buffy smiled and nodded. "Sounds good. You guys take it from here?"

Willow and Tara nodded, wrapping the sword in a piece of fabric that Tara had pulled out of her purse.

"I should get clumsy to the hospital," Anya said shrugging.

"I'll help," Jameson offered.

"_Clumsy_?" Xander demanded, incredulous.

"And so ends another night of Slayage," Buffy told Kait, taking her arm and leading her away. "Welcome to Sunnydale."

Kait smiled, bemused. "Thank you. I think."

"So, going to hang around for a bit?" Buffy asked as they walked.

"Actually yeah. Sunnydale may be a _strange_ town, but it's never boring."

  
"That's the spirit," Buffy told her with an approving nod as they entered the nearest coffee-shop.

****

The End


End file.
